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Photo credit by Mrs Logic

Easily one of the most recognized community names in the United States of America is Hollywood. People cannot think of the television and film industry without thinking of Hollywood, and with good reason. It was in Hollywood during the early 1900s that the American film industry emerged as a mainstream entertainment business. There are many things that are widely known about Hollywood, and many people claim to be experts on Hollywood. But here are ten facts you may not know about Hollywood, California.

1. Hollywood was incorporated as its own municipality in 1903, and in 1910 the residents voted for Hollywood being annexed into the city of Los Angeles.

2. H.J. Whitley was the land developer who named the area Hollywood, and set about the development of the area. Whitley was a Canadian born land developer who is credited with founding over 125 towns during his lifetime.

3. One of the early laws in the municipality of Hollywood was that only pharmacists could sell liquor.

4. The first movie ever filmed in Hollywood was D.W. Griffith's "In Old California." The first movie ever filmed in a permanent Hollywood studio was Cecil B. DeMillie's "The Squaw Man."

5. Television station KTLA, located in Hollywood, was the first television station west of the Mississippi River.

6. The annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, recently renamed Hollywood's Santa Parade, is the primary source of inspiration for the popular Christmas song "Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane." Gene Kelly, while riding his horse down the parade route heard children yelling "Here comes Santa Claus" and the name of the parade during that time was the Santa Claus Lane Parade.

7. Some of the notable people to graduate from Hollywood High School include Meredith Baxter, Brandy, Carol Burnett, Diana Canova, Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., Cher, Warren Christopher, Linda Evans, Nanette Fabray, Mike Farrell, Laurence Fishburne, James Garner, Alan Hale Jr., John Huston, Jill St. John, Chuck Jones, Swoosie Kurtz, Alan Ladd, Carole Lombard, Ricky Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stephanie Powers, John Ritter, Jason Robards, Mickey Rooney, Slash, Sharon Tate, Joe Trippi, Lana Turner, Tuesday Weld, and Rita Wilson.

8. The first people to get their footprints and handprints immortalized in cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater were film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. They were also part owners of the theater at the time.

9. During the 1960s, Lawrence Welk's television show was broadcast from the world famous Hollywood Palladium.

10. The famous Hollywood sign was in need of restoration during the 1970s, and sought donors to sponsor the refurbishment of each letter. Among those that donated the $27,777 per letter restoration amount were Alice Cooper, Andy Wilson, Gene Autry, and Hugh Hefner.

Any visit to Southern California, specifically to the Los Angeles area, is not complete without a trip to the old movie making district of Hollywood. While admittedly Hollywood today is not what it once was, it is still a valuable resource that can provide a great insight into not only entertainment history, but American history as a whole as well. Hollywood has one of the more unique stories to tell about the United States, and most other cities simply cannot compete.